Cedar Grove composting facility

Joshua Trujillo/seattlepi.comA truck delivers yard waste and food scraps collected from King and Snohomish counties into the Tipping Building at Cedar Grove's composting facility in north Everett on Wednesday. The piles of compostable material steam as they generate heat and begin the composting process. Nick Harbert of Cedar Grove says the process is initially sped up this time of year because of grass clippings added to the mix by homeowners.

Joshua Trujillo/seattlepi.comA front-end loader puts residential yard waste and food scraps into a grinder at Cedar Grove's composting facility. The operator of the loader makes sure the mix contains the right amount of green matter and food waste before adding the mixture to the grinder.

Joshua Trujillo/seattlepi.comA front-end loader is used to pile ground yard and food waste into rows.

Joshua Trujillo/seattlepi.comA front-end loader scoops ground waste that moved along a conveyor system at Cedar Grove's composting facility. The ground mixture is then piled in rows and placed under a tarp, where air is pumped into the mixture.

Joshua Trujillo/seattlepi.comAfter seven weeks under tarps and in a climate-controlled environment, composted material is screened to remove large particles and readied for use in gardens.